Depperschmidt, Sullivan take Loveland Sprint Triathlon titles

By Mike Brohard Sports Editor

Posted:
07/23/2011 10:13:52 PM MDT

0724 SPO LvlndSprntTrthln swimmers-srs.jpg Swimmers make their way into Lake Loveland as they start the first leg of the Loveland Sprint Triathlon on Saturday morning at North Lake Park.
(
Steve Stoner
)

Event organizer Peggy Shockley set up the Loveland Sprint Triathlon to draw in a local audience. And as Saturday's race played out at North Lake Park, they didn't stop until they hit the top of the podium.

Craig Depperschmidt, a 2002 Loveland High School graduate, and Nadia Sullivan, a 1996 Thompson Valley grad, won the overall men's and women's titles, respectively. Even the relay winner was a group of local products -- Hannah Hurd, Justine Boddy and Hannah Pensack-Rinehart.

It was about as perfect of a finish as Shockley could hope to have unfold.

Depperschmidt just may be her poster child. He frequents triathlons, but really only the local events in Loveland and Fort Collins since he finished competing for the University of Colorado triathlon team a few years ago. While his main focus is to be competitive, winning isn't at the top of his to-do list when he enters. Saturday's victory -- clocking in at 1 hour, 4 minutes and 22 seconds -- was his first overall title, though he has won age group crowns at various races through the years, including at the 2003 Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon, an Olympic distance.

Fittingly, it was that shirt he slipped into after the win he wasn't necessarily targeting.

“I didn't know what to expect.

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I just went as hard as I could, and I guess it turned out well,” said Depperschmidt, now a physical therapist at Rebound Therapy in Fort Collins. “I just try to do as many local races as I can.

“I like the local races. There are a lot of Loveland people coming in now. I like these races a lot, and I like what Peggy puts on. I just come out for the fun of it, really. I try not to put too much pressure on myself. I did that back in college, and it wasn't as fun as it is now. I just go out and try to have fun. Now it's just more of the social aspect.”

While he has lessened the stress of competition from his pre-race routine, he admits it is somewhat hard to take the competitor out of the equation once the race actually starts. He said the swim is his weak point, so seeing people in front of him out of the water kicks in the adrenaline more so than any training session.

“If it's regular weekend day when you go for a long ride, you can take it easy, but this puts a different type of training into it,” said Depperschmidt, who posted the fastest run of any individual in 17:24. “You've got to go harder. You see someone in front of you, and you really want to catch that person. Especially on the bike; you always want to catch that next person, otherwise, you can't go as hard as you can. It's that motivation.”

But the real draw for him still is seeing the motivation in his patients, many whom he sees at these races, to get over their injuries and attack triathlons of any distance.

“I've seen a few of my patients, and it's just cool to see them out and healthy,” he said. “The Lake to Lake was a big goal for a lot of people. That one is a good goal for a lot of my patients, so it was fun to work with them and see them do it.”

Sullivan entered the race in a different frame of mind, and that was to try to come out on top. She and her husband, Nick, own 3XFast (a local triathlon business), and having a support group along the course was a major bonus for her in finishing in 1:09:03.

“I was hoping to,” said Sullivan, who also designed the race T-shirts this year. “You never know who's going to show up on race day. That's the difference from bike racing at the level I was at.

“My team was really expecting me to win, which kinda put a lot of pressure on me, but it was great to hear them cheer on the course, because half of them were volunteering. Somebody said, ‘Yeah, Nadia, this is your race,' so that really helped on the run.”

It was a year ago she left the world of an elite cyclist and set her sites on triathlons, saying she really enjoys the “vibe” of the events, with the competitors supporting and encouraging each other, the main goal being just to finish and not so much about time. Still, she has a particular goal in mind, and that's to compete in a national Olympic-distance event next month in Vermont with the goal of qualifying for next year's Worlds in New Zealand.

For her, the day was as much of a training exercise — and a successful one — that can't be matched in her day-to-day workouts.

“It's really good, because it's hard in training to do swim, bike and run, and then transition training is always good,” she said. “When you practice it, you're usually not delirious.

“This is supposed to be fun, right? For an hour.”

The race attracted 242 participants with nary a hitch. The first wave of swimmers were delayed by about 10 minutes, and other than a sink hole that developed on the running course on Friday, there were no real issues.

Mike Brohard can be reached at 635-3633, or mbrohard@reporter-herald.com.

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